Thursday, October 8, 2015

Have you ever dialed a wrong number? Of course you have. If you can remember the old home phone you had, when you redialed the number correctly, your fingers could feel where you made the mistake. Your fingers have muscle memory.

If you play the piano or an instrument the same holds true. If you play a measure wrong, when you play it correctly, your fingers can feel where the mistake was. Your fingers have muscle memory.

Our minds, physical bodies and emotions work this way too. When we do the same things every day, our minds, bodies and emotions want to repeat what they did yesterday.

What if you are trying to make lifestyle changes to benefit your health? Can you wake up on Monday morning and say to yourself, "I am changing everything today?" Have you tried it? If we try to change too many things at once, this massive effort to change everything at once wreaks havoc on our life and all the muscle memory that our body is trying to hold on to. Our mind, bodies and emotions want to go where they were before. They want to react the way they did the last time.

If this is the case, how can we successfully change? It is up to you to reprogram your muscle memory:

You need to make a decision to give yourself time: 3 months, 6 months a year.

You need to change slowly, choosing 1 to 2 things at a time to work on.

You need to be patient with yourself: mind, body and emotions.

You need to keep repeating NEW good habits so that they replace the old muscle memory.

You need to make a commitment to yourself for the amount of time you have decided on.

You need to allow yourself some steps backwards and you need to forgive yourself when it happens.

You need to know why you want to make these changes and they better be solid reasons or the changes won't last.

You can do anything for 4 weeks, but can you actually change for good? I believe you can.

The next time you dial a wrong number, think of a habit you want to change and start reprogramming it with a good habit.

There is the seasonal transition taking place right now..from carefree summer to fall and back to school. While the weather goes back and forth from summer to fall, we know what is coming soon: gorgeous colorful leaves, pumpkins, sweatshirts and fall classes. We will then transition to blustery winds and snowflakes and chili's and stews.

My two youngest (Abbey, 22 and Jack, 20) have returned to college. Both had a great summer and are in full swing already, working and starting classes this week. I know that their transitions are not final or complete. They will return home at some point and we will all get used to being together daily again.

My husband will transition back to coaching basketball shortly which will mean long days for him and me. It will also mean much time away from each other and being alone most nights until mid-March.

We all will transition from being outside in sun and nature (soaking up vitamin D) to more gray and dismal days, longing for that bike ride or picnic in the park.

Change is constant and necessary. These benefits of change from www.tinybuddha.com are a great reminder that change is good. Embrace change, learn from it, enjoy it and become who you should be from it.

"People usually avoid changes and prefer to stay in their comfort zones, but I am true believer that once you get the courage and take the first step to change, your life will become much better.

Below are just few benefits of change:

1.Personal growth

You grow and learn new things every time something changes. You discover new insights about different aspects of your life. You learn lessons even from changes that did not lead you to where you wanted to be.

2.Flexibility

Frequent changes make you easily adapt to new situations, new environments, and new people. As a result you do not freak out when something unexpectedly shifts.

3.Improvements

We all have things in our lives we’d like to improve—finances, job, partner, house, etc. All of us know that nothing will improve by itself. We need to do things differently to make that happen. Without change, there’d be no improvements.

4.Life values

5.The Snowball effect

Often we give up because we cannot accomplish the difficult task of making a huge and immediate change. That is whensmall changes become extremely valuable. One shift at a time, small changes will eventually lead you to the desired big one.

6.Strength

Not all changes lead you to pleasant periods of life. Unfortunately we do not live in fairy tale and sad things happen, too. Overcoming the tough period will make you stronger.

7.Progress

Changes trigger progress. Things move forward and develop because of the them.

8.Opportunities

One never knows what each change may bring. When you turn from your usual path there will be plenty of different opportunities waiting for you. Changes will bring new choices for happiness and fulfillment.

9.New beginnings

Each change is a turning page. It is about closing one chapter and opening another one. Changes bring new beginnings and excitement to life.

10.Routine

Remember the movie Stranger than Fiction? The main character Harold Crick does the same things in exactly same time for years. He leads a completely dull, extremely predictable, and uninteresting life. That is how your life would be without changes.

So next time you get the temptation to avoid or resist the change, aim instead to initiate the ones that will lead you to where you want be.

And remember—if there were no change, there would be no butterflies! "(source: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-powerful-benefits-of-change-why-embrace-it/)